Speeches
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
Afternoon Tea for Cornish Mining Sites World Heritage Bid
Rod and I warmly welcome you all to Government House to mark the progress of the Cornish Mining Sites World Heritage Bid.
In particular, we welcome Barry Gamble, who has travelled from the UK, as well as those of you who’ve travelled from Burra and Moonta for this occasion.
Copper features prominently in South Australian history, driving our early economic growth and industrial development.
In fact, revenue from copper funded the expansion of the original Government House to its present size.
Key to our state’s early mining industry were Cornish migrants, who brought their mining technology to South Australia in the 1840s.
The settlement of Cornish miners and their families from the mid-1840s to mid-1880s played a significant role the development of mining in what became our state and nation.
Rod and I have proud connections to Cornwall – Rod grew up there and I have Cornish heritage. My maternal great-great grandfather lived for a time in Goonhavern, where Rod also spent time as a boy.
It has been our pleasure to visit the Copper Coast on several occasions and to engage with the local communities.
In June, we were pleased to join festivities marking Burra’s 180th anniversary, where I unveiled the sculpture of a Cornish Copper Miner, created by a talented young local.
We’ve also attended the Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival, where I opened the Moonta Parade and Fer Kernewek.
All of this is to say that we are delighted to support the Cornish Mining Sites World Heritage Bid, and we are heartened by its progress.
World Heritage listing is a globally recognized symbol of a place's outstanding universal value.
Achieving a listing would help to ensure the cultural preservation of your region as well as boost tourism development, educational opportunities, and economic growth for the region and South Australia as a whole.
We congratulate the Australian Cornish Mining Sites on being selected for Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2023.
Pursuing a full world heritage listing is a huge undertaking, and I note that Consortium members have already worked diligently, over many years, towards this goal.
The collaboration of all parties on this project is admirable.
I thank the Regional Council of Goyder, Copper Coast Council and National Trust of South Australia for leading the bid, with support from the Commonwealth and strong collaboration from the state government, traditional owners, community leaders, and heritage organisations.
Rod and I wish the Consortium all the best as it continues on the path towards a full listing, cementing the importance of our state’s Cornish mining heritage on the national and international stage.
After we have heard from Mr Gamble, we invite you to visit the Government House library and have a look at our mineral display.
On loan from the South Australian Museum, the collection reflects our state’s rich mining history, and features examples of copper and other minerals from our state’s ‘copper kingdom’.